Labor and Politics, Fall 2005

Abstract:: Throughout the advanced industrial world, labor unions, once seen as key institutions in economic and social life, vehicles for social integration, political participation, and economic redistribution, are in crisis. How did this change in organizational fortunes occur? Is this decline inevitable or can unions reform themselves as important and viable institutions? What role can labor play in the new economy? Drawing on bodies of literature from different fields (industrial relations, sociology, history, and political science) and focused on different national cases, this graduate reading and research seminar examines these and other related questions. Open to advanced undergraduates with permission of instructor.

Planning in Transition Economies for Growth and Equity, Spring 2004

Abstract:: During the last fifteen years, nations across the globe embarked on a historic transformation away from centrally planned economies to market-oriented ones. However, in the common pursuit for economic growth, these transition economies implemented widely different reform strategies with mixed results. With over a decade of empirical evidence now available, this new course examines this phenomenon that has pushed the discourse in a number of disciplines, requiring us to reconsider fundamental issues such as: - the proper relationship between business, government, and the public interest; - the possible synergies and tensions between economic growth and equity; and - how economic transition has reshaped cities. The premise of the course is that the primary issue in transition involves institution-building and re-building in different contexts.